Experience New York: Hike Up Bear Mountain

There’s this misconception that if you live in New York, you are often confined to the walls of your small apartment. While I do admit that it takes a certain capacity and tolerance to live in a city with millions, I don’t think it is a skill that you can not attain. Especially if your reason for not living in this city or question of how we do it, has something to do with us lacking outdoor experience.

Here’s a fun fact: We are never home. We sleep at home, but even on lazy days, we aren’t home. I am naturally a busybody, and my children have inherited the shaker in me. Peter, on the other hand grew up in the woods. So his penchant for moving his body is something he knows distinctly. Seeing and experiencing New York (outside of the city), is easy. Within an hour the city turns to dust in the distance and you are shown expansive lands, lakes to swim, towns with feasts, and mountains to hike. Experiencing this as a family this spring, summer, and now fall, has been the greatest gift.